Out of the 9 chapters that are in this book, the same theme is seen throughout. Forgiveness from God is the first step in turning your life around. So many examples were given of people needing to ask for forgiveness after they realize the mistake they've made. This personally is a difficult thing to do. That means I have to swallow my pride and admit my fault. If that fault was not only to God, but others, then I need to ask for everyone's forgiveness in the situation. Being humbled is not a fun thing to have done to you, but it does make you a stronger person.

After asking forgiveness, Lutzer keeps pointing out that you need to trust God. So often in my life, when things get out of control, or I make a bad decision, I try to fix the situation or run to someone else. God wants what is best for me, so why do I try to figure out what that is when He already knows? Because I'm a prideful person and don't want to to admit that His way is best, not mine.

I would highly recommend this book to not only adults, but teens as well. Topics in the chapters range from marriage to finances to crossing moral boundaries to hurting someone else. Even though I'm not married, that doesn't mean that I don't need to read on marriage. Teens need to see what marriage looks like in the world today. They also need to be aware of making financial mistakes later on in life.

I received a complimentary copy of this book for review from the publisher.

I am very thankful to Tyndale House in being so kind as to send me a complimentary copy of this book to review.

Have you ever asked yourself these questions (I know I have): "I made a mistake that changed my life forever. What do I do now?" "Is there a way to move past what happened and start again?" "Will my situation ever get better, or have I missed my chance at a great future?" Well then, this book is for you.

Erwin W. Lutzer touches on various topics, for example, "When You've Married Trouble -- You regret that foolish vow" or "When You're in the Wrong Vocation -- You hate going to work."

By the time I hit Chapter 3, I couldn't put the book down and just began underlining (to refer to for future reference). I equated this book to a counselling session. It was enlightening, helpful and informative.

Erwin Lutzer does a brilliant job articulating different scenarios, using biblical references and offering practical advice throughout his book. By the time I finished reading it, I was left with hope.

I guess if there was one word I could use to describe this book, it would be "surrender". Surrendering to God's will and not my will.

I really enjoyed reading this book because of the fact that it was so revelatory and full of wisdom. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is struggling in their life right now.

If you are living with regret or guilt as a result of bad decisions or choices you have made in your life, I would strongly encourage you to get this book. It is a must have!

In Making the Best of a Bad Decision, Erwin Lutzer, a senior pastor of The Moody Church in Chicago, reminds readers that despite our decisions and choices in life, all things really do work for good for those who love God (Romans 8:28).

With 3 chapters that speak to all Christians, and 6 others that address specific bad decisions (e.g., "when you've married trouble" and "when you're in the wrong vocation," etc.), Lutzer uses scripture and experience to deepen our faith in times of crisis, and reignite hope that God will bring good from even our worst choices.

The premise of this book is obviously important and inspiring; we all need to be reminded sometimes of the hope we have in God, even in the most difficult situations. The impact of the message, however, will likely vary greatly among readers.

The population who might find this book most life-changing are those who have never before given a great deal of consideration to God's role in their decision-making, and those whose situation have brought them so low that they're reaching out to God for perhaps the very first time. The extent of scripture Lutzer quotes and expands upon might be best suited to those who wouldn't yet have sought Biblical guidance in their distress.

To the seasoned Christian, this book might impart vary little new perspective. The Biblical examples discussed, such as David's indiscretions and sin and Jonah's run (sail) away from God, are probably the first things a Bible-reading Christian would try to cling to in their self-induced plight. As such, this population might benefit less from the wisdom of this book, being already familiar the Biblical principles discussed.

Regardless of the reader's degree of Christian background before reading this book, every reader is sure to come away with something helpful, either to ease the immediate pain or to gain a new life-long perspective.

I received this book free from Tyndale House Publisher in exchange for my honest review.

This book, for starters, is billed as being about recovering from bad decisions (obviously). It was well written and goes over several situations a person can find himself in due to poor choices. However, I do not feel it lives up to the usually higher standards of Erwin Lutzer's other books. It is mainly a self-help book, not a properly Christian book (regardless of how much Scripture is used). What's more, because Lutzer tries to cover a wide varied of topics he does not spend much time on any one and so creates a collection of short uneffective overview of these issues. I'm somewhat disappointed.

Thank you to Tyndale House Publishers for a free copy of this book in exchange for this review.